Convicted stalkers and perpetrators of domestic violence are already captured on the Police National Computer. We are working to make better use of existing databases and improve connectivity and information sharing rather than
creating new databases or registers for each offence. Since April 2014, offences of stalking and harassment are being reported separately in Police Recorded Crime figures. This will allow us to develop a more comprehensive
picture of the scale of stalking and monitor cases more effectively.

We introduced two new offences on 25 November 2012 to strengthen legislation around stalking and extended police search powers to improve investigation of these crimes.

In addition, the Home Secretary has established a National Oversight Group to ensure recommendations from HMIC’s Review into domestic abuse are acted upon. This includes work to improve data collection and data sharing on serial
abusers.

We have no current plans to legislate on this issue. However, the Home Office consultation on strengthening the law on domestic abuse closed on 15 October. We are currently assessing the responses and we will consider all of the issues
raised in order to determine next steps to offer the best possible protection for victims.

The Home Office collects data on the number of crimes recorded by the police but not how many complaints the police receive.

Prior to 1 April 2014, offences relating to stalking recorded by the police were included in the offence classification of harassment and could not be identified separately. From the 1 April 2014 these offences have been supplied
to the Home Office as a separate classification of stalking. Therefore data are only available for the months April to June 2014, when the police recorded 695 offences. They are published in the quarterly Office for National Statistics publication of ‘Crime in England and Wales’.


The most recent data are available in table A4 in this link: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-june-2014/index.html

The law is clear that what is illegal off-line is also illegal on-line and we have robust legislation in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber stalking
and harassment. The government brought in new stalking laws in November 2012 which sends a clear message that those responsible for stalking should be brought to justice. This will also help stop people living in fear and prevent escalation to more serious violence. From April 2013 to March 2014, 743 prosecutions were commenced under the new stalking legislation. This is a significant increase from the 67 prosecutions that were commenced from November 2012 to March 2013 and shows that the legislation is taking effect.

The government continues to work in collaboration with the College of Policing, the National Policing Lead on Stalking, and the Crown Prosecution Service, amongst others, to further raise awareness of the legislation and promote training to ensure these offences are tackled effectively. In July 2013 the Crown Prosecution Service published guidelines for prosecutors on the approach they should take in cases involving communications sent via social media. The College of Policing also wrote to all Chief Officers in July 2013 with advice on tackling online abuse.

The relevant offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were amended by new sections 2A and 4A, which came into force on 25 November 2012. Sadly, it is too early for there to be meaningful trends. As soon as the trends are indicated to us, we will present that information to the House.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of convictions for stalking offences.

Being stalked must be an horrendous experience for anybody, and it is important that we look carefully at the legislation and keep the issue under review. In 2013-14, 743 prosecutions were commenced under the new legislation. We agree across the House that stalking is an abhorrent offence, and we should do everything we can to prevent it and prosecute those who perpetrate it.

I thank the Minister for that reply. My constituent, John Clough, has sponsored a petition, which so far has attracted more than 120,000 signatures, calling on the Home Office to establish a stalkers register. How can my right hon. Friend ensure that more stalkers are convicted and their victims protected?

The list of qualifying offences for the sex offender notification requirements is kept under review by the Home Office. Convicted stalkers are already captured on the Police National Computer.

In addition, the Home Secretary has established a National Oversight Group to ensure that the recommendations from HMIC’s March Review into domestic abuse are acted upon. This includes work to improve data collection and data sharing on serial abusers.

The Home Office consultation on strengthening the law on domestic abuse closed on 15 October. We are currently considering the responses and we will consider all of the issues raised in order to determine next steps to offer the best possible protection for victims.

(a) The National Probation Service is a new organisation that has only been in existence since June 2014. The Professional Skills Training team are in the process of putting together the national training plan and stalking awareness will be part of this.

(b) & (c) The responsibility for judicial training for courts judiciary lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law.

The new stalking laws came from the amendments made to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 by the Protection of Freedom Act 2012. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges and legal advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter, and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012.

The Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012. This was issued to the Association Of Chief Police Officers (in England And Wales And Northern Ireland), Association Of Magisterial Officers, Central Council Of Magistrates Courts, Justices Clerks Society, Law Society, Magistrates Association, Ministry of Justice, and the Judicial College.

In addition the Justices Clerks Society also issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012.

The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

The stalking offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, sections 2A (stalking) and 4A (stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress), have been available from 25 November 2012. The section 2A offence has a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine, and the section 4A offence has a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment.

The number of people convicted under sections 2A and 4A in 2012 and 2013 and those receiving custodial sentence can be viewed at the table below.

The stalking offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, sections 2A (stalking) and 4A (stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress), have been available from 25 November 2012. The section 2A offence has a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine, and the section 4A offence has a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment.

The number of people convicted under sections 2A and 4A in 2012 and 2013 and those receiving custodial sentence can be viewed at the table below.

The responsibility for the training of judges lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.

The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating judges on the law; judges are professional lawyers and are expected to keep themselves up to date. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics covered. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012.

The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

The responsibility for the training of Magistrates lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.

Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law. The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating Legal Advisers on the law. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics being covered.

The Judicial College provides regular updates to Legal Advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012. In addition, the Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012, and the Justices Clerks Society issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012.

The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, magistrates use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

The College of Policing sets standards and provides relevant training products and services to police forces. This includes a College of Policing training package on stalking, which was completed 56,748 times between October 2012 and 30 September 2014 by police officers and staff in England and Wales, and continues to be available.

Neither the College of Policing nor the Home Office holds information which breaks this figure down by the number of police officers and staff in England and Wales that have completed the training.

In 2013-14, 743 prosecutions were commenced under the new stalking legislation. This is a significant increase from 2012-13 and shows that the legislation is taking effect.

We are also working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to raise awareness and improve professional knowledge.

To ensure prosecutors’ knowledge is continuously refreshed, in April 2014, the CPS launched a specific e-learning module on stalking which focused on victim support, working with the police and ensuring a strong case is built from the start. The College of Policing is also undertaking a review of how stalking incidents are investigated by the police. This will include how the police understand what constitutes a course of conduct in policing, how the police support victims, and further training on the appropriate use of Police Information Notices.

Since April 2014, offences of stalking and harassment are being reported separately in Police Recorded Crime figures. This will allow us to monitor the impact of the legislation more effectively.

Convicted stalkers will already be captured on the Police National Computer. We are working to make better use of existing databases and improve connectivity and information sharing rather than creating new databases or registers for each and every offence.

The College of Policing sets standards and provides relevant training products and services to police forces. This includes a College of Policing training package on stalking, which was completed 56,748 times between October 2012 and 30 September 2014 by police officers and staff in England and Wales, and continues to be available.

Neither the College of Policing nor the Home Office holds information which breaks this figure down by the number of police officers and staff in England and Wales that have completed the training.

In 2013-14, 743 prosecutions were commenced under the new stalking legislation. This is a significant increase from 2012-13 and shows that the legislation is taking effect.

We are also working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to raise awareness and improve professional knowledge.

To ensure prosecutors’ knowledge is continuously refreshed, in April 2014, the CPS launched a specific e-learning module on stalking which focused on victim support, working with the police and ensuring a strong case is built from the start. The College of Policing is also undertaking a review of how stalking incidents are investigated by the police. This will include how the police understand what constitutes a course of conduct in policing, how the police support victims, and further training on the appropriate use of Police Information Notices.

Since April 2014, offences of stalking and harassment are being reported separately in Police Recorded Crime figures. This will allow us to monitor the impact of the legislation more effectively.

Convicted stalkers will already be captured on the Police National Computer. We are working to make better use of existing databases and improve connectivity and information sharing rather than creating new databases or registers for each and every offence.

The College of Policing sets standards and provides relevant training products and services to police forces. This includes a College of Policing training package on stalking, which was completed 56,748 times between October 2012 and 30 September 2014 by police officers and staff in England and Wales, and continues to be available.

Neither the College of Policing nor the Home Office holds information which breaks this figure down by the number of police officers and staff in England and Wales that have completed the training.

In 2013-14, 743 prosecutions were commenced under the new stalking legislation. This is a significant increase from 2012-13 and shows that the legislation is taking effect.

We are also working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to raise awareness and improve professional knowledge.

To ensure prosecutors’ knowledge is continuously refreshed, in April 2014, the CPS launched a specific e-learning module on stalking which focused on victim support, working with the police and ensuring a strong case is built from the start. The College of Policing is also undertaking a review of how stalking incidents are investigated by the police. This will include how the police understand what constitutes a course of conduct in policing, how the police support victims, and further training on the appropriate use of Police Information Notices.

Since April 2014, offences of stalking and harassment are being reported separately in Police Recorded Crime figures. This will allow us to monitor the impact of the legislation more effectively.

Convicted stalkers will already be captured on the Police National Computer. We are working to make better use of existing databases and improve connectivity and information sharing rather than creating new databases or registers for each and every offence.

The Home Office collects data on the number of crimes recorded by the police but not how many complaints the police receive.

Prior to 1 April 2014, offences relating to stalking recorded by the police were included in the offence classification of harassment and cannot be
identified separately. From the 1 April 2014 these offences have been supplied to the Home Office as a separate classification of stalking. Therefore data are only available for the months April to June 2014, when the police recorded 695 offences. They are published in the quarterly Office for National Statistics publication of ‘Crime in England and Wales’.

The most recent data are available in Table A4 of the appendix tables in this link:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-june-2014/index.html

Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council.

Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 21 October 2014 (210680 and 210770).